Sometimes,
being known as someone with marginal writing talent, sucks boatloads. I had a feeling that it would come to this, but honestly, I didn't want to face the impending reality.
Mom asked me today if I would write something for the funeral.
Ugh.
Thanks to a minor guilt trip she put on me by "you're the oldest grandchild, you've known him the longest," I went ahead and said I would put something together for the funeral.
Granted, the funeral isn't scheduled, but it's close. I guess this would be a good time to elaborate on my grandfather's illness. Back in the fall, we as a family learned that 67 (yes, I call my grandpa that) had cancer. Not just one type of cancer, but cancer all over everywhere. The prognosis was that the cancer would shorten his life, but by how much we didn't know. In fact, the doctors were of the mind that 67 could live as long as five more years.
They agressively treated the cancer with kemo and the like, which had what we believed to be incredible results. In fact, by December, they had decided to down the dosage to just a maintenence dose. So we believed things were good.
We were wrong.
I'm not sure when it first happened, but I noticed that gramps was horribley ill about a month ago. I just thought it was the after effects of the radiation, but a week after that, my tough-as-nails grandpa needed a cane to get around. Easter came and me moved like he had suffered a stroke. The similarities between his actions and my other grandfather's actions were eerily similar. Grandma, my uncle and my mom took him to the doctor for some type of scan and the results were not good.
I'm not sure how to describe it but the maintenence dosage didn't do the trick. In fact, the cancer reappeared everywhere including his brain. The spots on the brain were causing swelling which in turn was causing the stroke-like symptoms. His doctors recommended radiation to help the quality of life, rather than the quantity. I was lead to believe he had probably another 4-6 months. This was last Thursday. On Sunday evening, my grandma called 911 because Gramps was choking and having trouble breathing. They took him to the hospital and he stayed the night.
It was described as the "beginnings of a stroke." Now the belief we have is that once the radiation is done, things will go south fast. Our timetable has been reduced from months to most likely weeks. And I can only hope they do as bad as that sounds. But no one wants to see a loved one suffer, so if this stuff is to take him, I pray that it takes him quickly.
The truth and nothing but the truth
YOU CAN ONLY SAY TRUE OR FALSE...!!!!!! NO IF's AND's OR BUT'S!!!
I am a cuddler - True, nothing wrong with that
I am a morning person - True, but i can be an evening person too
I am a perfectionist - Fales, fasle
I am an only child - False, i've got the Roosk and the Fish as sisters
I am currently in my pajamas - False, i'm currently in my ball playing clothes
I am currently single - True, oh so true
I am currently suffering from a broken heart - False, i'm single.
I am okay at styling other people's hair - FALSE!!! I can't even cut my dog's hair don't let me near people
I am left handed - False, righty all the way
I am addicted to my myspace - False, what's my space?
I am online 24/7, even as an away message - False, i'm one of those people who if it says away, is actually away.
I am very shy around people I'm attracted to at first - False, I just may not show my attraction
I can be paranoid at times - False, it's not my nature to be paranoid
I currently regret something that I have said - False at least i dont' think so
When I get mad I curse frequently -Oh Very True
I like someone - True, I like all my friends
I enjoy country music – True, yes I actually do like country music
I enjoy jazz music - True, I like jazz too
I enjoy smoothies - N/A, I've never had a smoothie
I enjoy talking on the phone - True, I do often times like to talk on the phone.
I have a lot to learn - Oh how very true
I have a pet - True, I've got several, Joey my dog, then Tim, Jarrett, and Josh
I have a secret that I am ashamed to reveal - False. My life is an open book
I have a tendency to fall for the "wrong" person - False, not even the wrong person can catch me
I have all my grandparents - False, and I'll probably lose another in the next 4-6 months
I have at least one sibling - Didn't we answer this one already?
I have been told that I am smart - True and I deny it. I iz dum.
I have broken a bone - TRUE!!! However, it was not my bone. It was someone else's.
I have Caller I.D. on my phone - True, i know who calls before they do.
I have bathed/showered with someone - True
I have changed a diaper - True, when there's 15 years difference between the oldest and the youngest sibling, diaper changing is inevitable
I have changed a lot over the past year - False, i'm still the same person for the most part
I have done something illegal - Absolutely!!
I have friends who have never seen my natural hair - False. My hair color is natural save for the gray-hiding highlights
I have had major/minor surgery - False. No surgery here.
I have killed another person - Not yet.
I have had my hair cut within the last week - False, but man I'm over do for a cut
I have had the cops called on me - True. And the cops said that they shouldn't have been called.
I have kissed someone I now realized I shouldn't have - True. How true this is.
It's the law of karma or something
Because something has to give.
Obviously since I can't seem to call a turkey in close enough to shoot it, I can do all sorts of other things well.
I went fishing for the first time on Wednesday and caught six bass. It felt good to be out fishing for the first time in 2006.
I went golfing Friday for the first time since October and I shot what I think is a career low (well I know it's a career low on my home course) of 77.
Can I kill a turkey?
No.
This is getting rediculous. We know it's not us, it's the turkeys.
The Case of the Mysterious Lug Nut
We played Fugitive on Sunday night. When I was a marshal and riding in my exploder, I noticed a strange sound coming from my right front tire. It sounded as if something was rattling around in my hubcap or lugnut cover, whatever you'd like to call it. Naturally, that sort of thing concerns me just a bit so I took it to my car guru on Monday morning.
With a screwdriver, he popped open the cover and inspected things. He looked at the tire, looked at me and then back at the tire and asked a simple question:
"Did you touch this at all?"
"Nope. I pulled the cover off, looked and then pushed it back on."
"Dude, someone's messing with you."
One lugnut was completely backwards and barely on. The Guru asked me if I had ever touched the lugnuts since the last time they changed my tires. Of course I hadn't because my policy is "If it's not broken, don't fix it." Anyways, Jar torqued the nut back on then began speculating on how that happened. Had I pissed someone off? Not to my knowledge. Do I have any enemies? Not that I'm aware of.
I wondered if it could have been a prank, someone was going to pull my tire off as a joke, but something interuppted the process, or they couldn't the lugs undone. He said it could have been that too. Neither one of us is for sure of anything, except that someone messed with one of my lugnuts.
I speculated last night on things. About a week ago, Joey (my dog) went apeshit crazy at 2:15 in the morning. The way I park in the driveway is so that you can't see the right side of my vehicled from the house. Could something fishy have been going on and Joey heard it? Your guess is as good as mine.
I can understand the prank idea. I apprieciate a good prank, but if it's the other...come on, I live in small town USA, pop. 4000. That stuff doesn't happen here.
Turkey Hunting Pt. II
Okay, I'm throughoughly frustrated now.
I went back to Spot B and as I was making my way down the the half mile corner, I noticed fresh tracks in the milo field. Mixed feelings of hope and disappointment washed over me. Hope because the turkeys had been there after we left, disappointment because the turkeys had been there since we left. I managed to talk myself into saying that those were day old tracks.
As I nuzzled up next to the hedge row to boogie up to the corner, I noticed fresh tracks. How do I know they were fresh? Because the were INSIDE our boot prints from this morning. I proceeded up to the corner, set myself up and made a call on a borrowed call from Jar.
My call was promptly answered.
The problem that I noticed right away was that it wasn't a gobble but a call very similar to the call I made. Soon I was calling and the answers were getting closer and closer. Eventually the bird popped into view.
It was a hen.
I can't shoot hens.
I messed with her mind for a while as she looked and looked for me. She circled around me twice before she headed back from whence she came.
We know they're there. We know they were strutting. It's just a matter of timing.
We will get them.
Turkey Hunting Pt. I
Spring turkey season opened this morning on what can only be described as a bad start. I set my alarm for 5:30 because all my stuff was laid out so my thinking was jump out of bed, get dressed, and run outside to wait for Jar.
Jar woke me up at 5:45. I was well into a dream about government controlled zombies. But within 7 minutes we were out the door and off to the land of turkeys. We didn't fare so well. We set up in Spot A, where I had shot my turkey last year. Right away we heard one lone gobble, but nothing ever came our way.
Then we moved over to Spot B. Spot B was only a quarter mile from Spot A but looked more promising. However, nothing happened in the first set up place of Spot B. So we decided to venter deeper into Spot B. We walked down the milo field to a waterway, when we heard the first cluck of the day. The two of us meandered over a little waterway and there was Turkey Highway 101 up and down the hedge row. Tracks were everywhere but no birds in sight. After some on site intel gathering, we walked the half mile back to the car.
Naturally we were going to go take a look at some other spots but the rule is, you have to drive back by the spot you just were. So back around the section we drove and lo and behold, there was a turkey in between Spot A and Spot B. Instead of going back to Spot B and setting up, we drove a little bit further to the place where the landowner won't let us hunt. Of course, every turkey in the state was there. All we did was cuss the landowner's name and we zipped back to Spot B to see if we could get that loner turkey to come running right into a load of buckshot.
Did that happen? Of course not. We don't even know where that bastard went. But, I think we're going back tonight.
Well I am anyways.
I'm tired of the wind
Wind, wind, go away,
Come again some other day.
I want to play outside today,
so QUIT FUCKING BLOWING!!!
Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I feel better. That was probably the most brutal jog I've been on in a while as I jogged right into the teeth of the beast. I'm not a slim or narrow guy so I battle wind resistence which, all in all, probably was good for me. But on the same token, dayum.
I did have a lot to say about stupid people today, but I decided that I'm going to protest stupid people. If the immigration protests are drawing so much press, I think a protest against stupid people will gather even more steam. Some of the criteria the people have to meet are: doesn't use a turn signal,
doesn't stop at those pesky stop signs,
never shuts up in class,
tries to get a guarantee that their business will start if they purchase advertising,
won't tell a coach if they're going to be at a game a week in advance rather waits til the day before the game,
won't return a call,
that one landowner who won't let us hunt,
incredibley nosey people,
my neighbors,
geeks who think they are the coolest people on the planet yet act like middle schoolers,
the geek squad because none of those halfwits can drive,
the WSU spanish department and so on and so forth.
Things I have done
( X ) Smoked a cigarette
( ) Smoke pot
( X ) Drank so much you threw up
( ) Watered down your parents' liquor cabinet
( X ) Crashed a friend's car...
( X ) Stolen a car- kind of.
( ) Been in love..
( ) Been dumped
( x ) Shoplifted
( ) Been laid off/fired
(x ) Quit your job
( X ) Been in a fist fight
( x ) Snuck out of your parent's house
( x ) Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
( x) Been arrested.
( ) Gone on a blind date
( X ) Lied to a friend.
( X ) Skipped school
( ) Seen someone die
( ) Been to Canada
( X ) Been to Mexico
( X ) Been on a plane
( X ) Been on a cruise
( X ) Been lost
( x ) Been on the opposite side of the country
( ) Gone to Washington, DC
( X ) Swam in the ocean
( X ) Felt like dying
( ) Cried yourself to sleep
( X ) Played cops and robbers
( X) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Sang karaoke...Good times at the VFW!!!
( X ) Paid for a meal with only coins
( X ) Dined and ditched
( X ) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
( X ) Made prank phone calls (Is your refrigerator running.....)
( X ) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
( X ) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
( X) Danced in the rain...does it count when you're drunk?
( X ) Written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) Been kissed under the mistletoe
( X ) Watched the sun rise with someone you care about...
( X ) Blown bubbles
( ) Made a bonfire on the beach
( X ) Crashed a party
( X ) Gone roller-skating
( X ) Ice-skating
Any nicknames? yes, RJ is the best.
What is your favorite drink? Black Cherry Lime Powerade
Tattoos? Nope, but maybe just maybe down the road
Body piercing? Oh HELL NO
Birthplace: Moundridge
Favorite vacation spot? My aunt and uncle's in Neb
Ever been to Africa? Nope
Ever steal any traffic signs? Why yes I have.
Ever been in a car accident? There have been a few, like the time Tim crashed Jar's car
Salad dressing? Ranch, ranch and ranch
> Favorite pie? Chocolate cream pie or banana cream
Favorite number? 2, because no matter what, i'll never be number one
Favorite movie? Wrong, there are way too many to list
Favorite holiday? Turkey weekend
Favorite food? Chinese
Favorite day of the week? gots to be Friday or Saturday or any day when i'm playing ball
Favorite TV show? CSI
Toothpaste? Crest
Favorite smell? rain
What do you do to relax? Fish
Furthest place you will send this message?To the world wide web so wherever someone stumbles on to this
Thought for the day
Today's thought is:
Why when there is a nice soaking rain would you ever go and wash your car at the car wash? I mean really, was it that dirty? It didn't look all that dirty, in fact, it looked like it was pretty freaking clean. But what ever posesses someone to take their car out when it's a steady soaker and head to the car wash is way beyond me.
What's worse is, I can probably see them heading home and trying to dry it in the driveway.
Fun surveys obtained from Bev
How many keys are on your keychain? Just one. I live in the Midwest, we never lock our houses.
What curse word do you use the most? Shit..and all the variations
Do you own an iPod? I don't even on pea pods.
What time is your alarm clock set for? 7 a.m.
How many suitcases do you own? One.
Do you wear flip-flops even when it's cold outside? Wrong. I don't even wear flip-flops. about the closest thing is my slides that i wear to and from the ball park
Where do you buy your groceries from? The store. I mean seriously what kind of dumb question is this?
Would you rather take the picture or be in the picture? Take, only because i get paid to do that by a newspaper occaisionally
What was the last movie you watched? Theatre= Batman Begins (Yes I know I suck as a person) TV-Friday the 13th Pt. VII. and the only comment is, who the hell leaves all this dangerous garden equipment out through the forest.
Do any of your friends have children? Yes, several do and some of them are even married to each other
If you won the lottery, what's the first thing you would buy? Tuition
Has anyone ever called you lazy? Probably
Do you ever take medication to help you fall asleep faster? No. I don't have any problems like that. However, i did feed a dog medication to help it fall asleep faster.
What CD is currently in your CD player? "Circles" by Indigenous
Do you prefer regular or chocolate milk? Chocolate
Has anyone told you a secret this week? I don't have any secrets..at least I haven't this week.
When was the last time someone hit on you? Friday in Spanish class. And it wasn't pleasant.
What did you have for dinner? dinner being supper? or sunday dinner being lunch? i'm too easily confused by this question
Do you wear hoodies often? Yes i do.
Can you whistle? Just like the whistle song
Have you ever participated in a protest? Yes. I protest when I lose while playing cards
Who was the last person to call you? the rec director recruiting me for traffic control
What is your favorite ride at an amusement park? Ones that don't go in the air.
Do you think people talk about you behind your back? Of course they do. The even talk about me in front of me.
What area code are you in right now? 620
Did you watch cartoons as a child? Hell I still watch them now.
How big is your local mall? Uh, I live in a town of 4000 people. we don't have a mall.
How many siblings do you have? The Fish and the Rooskie, so that would be two
Are you shy around the opposite sex? I don't think so, but then again, i'm too dense to pick up on pheromones or whatever those thingies are
What is your biggest regret? i'm thinking way to hard on this one..um..well..probably trying to remember what I regret. now i feel all horrible and stuff.
Have you ever had Jamba Juice? What?
When was the last time you laughed so hard your sides hurt? The other day when my father opened his mouth with his views on the show "The Deadliest Catch"
What movie do you know every line to? The Princess Bride or Clue
Do you own any band t-shirts? No.
When was your last plane ride? 1998 holy hell
How many chairs are at your dining room table? four
What is your favorite salad dressing? I'm in the MidWest. therefore everything goes better with Ranch
Do you read for fun? Absolutely. Do i finish everythign I start? unfortunately no.
Can you speak any languages other than English? No matter what people think, I can not speak Spanish.
Do you do your own dishes? I had a bunch of nice Husker glasses, but they've broken one by one
What color is your bedroom painted? White
Have you ever cried in public? Yes, when my mom jerked open a door over the tops of my toes when i was five. and come to think of it, that's the last time i've ever worn sandals of any kind
Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop? Desktop
Which do you make: wishes or plans? If wishes were horses, we'd all ride. I can barely make plans.
Are you always trying to learn new things? Most of the time.
Do you shower on a daily basis? Oh yes. sometimes twice a day even depending on how sweaty dirty I got
Are you currently wanting any piercings or tattoos? Not really. maybe a tat someday
Do you believe that the guy should pay on the first date? I think he should. i'm old fashioned that way
Can you skip rocks? Yes I can.
Have you ever been to Jamaica? Bad subject. I should be answering this question with a yes. But No.
What to snack on at the movie theatres? nothing usually.
Who was your favorite teacher? Mr. D or Mr. M
Have you ever dated someone out of your race? I have not.
What is the weather like? It's damn nice, i should be out playing, but no i'm answering a survey
Would you ever date someone covered in tattoos? depends on the person on the inside
Do you have an online journal? You're reading it.
What was your favorite class in high school? Art classes. I was in two seperate Art Classes and I was a student aide for an art teacher my senior year.
Do you enjoy traveling via airplanes? It wasn't bad back in '98
What personality trait is a must-have in the opposite sex? Sense of humor!
Have you ever been attracted to someone physically unattractive? They thought they weren't
When was the last time you slept on the floor? The other day, i fell asleep on the floor.
What is your favorite alcoholic drink? MARGARITAS!
Does your closest Starbucks have a drive-thru? What's Starbucks?
Do you like your living arrangement? Its aight.
What is your mother's hometown? the country up in Nebraska
How many hours of sleep do you need to function? to function, three, to be crisp, 6
Do you eat breakfast daily? Breakfast? what's this breakfast you speak of
What was the last thing to scare you? these high bridge pictures
Are your days full and fast-paced? sometimes
Did you ever get in trouble for talking in class? Absolutely. Esp, when the Poem was written.
What is your favorite fruit? Apples.
Do you pay attention to calories on the back of packages? They put those on the back of the packages?
How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 30
Are you picky about spelling and grammar? Sometimes. I'm a copy editor so I have to be when it counts.
Do you believe in life on other planets? Yes.
Have you ever been to Six Flags? Nope
Who was the last person to piss you off? I don't remember who it was, but i'm pretty sure i hid the body.
Do you believe that God has a gender? That's a really good question.
What was the last thing you ate? A junior mint.
Do you get along better with the same or opposite sex? Both the same.
What did you dress up as for your first Halloween? Probably a superhero of some kind.
How did your parents pick your name? My mom put the Foot of Steel down when my dad thought about naming me Rocky. I would have probably had to kick my own ass on a daily basis.
Do you like mustard? It's growing on me.
What do you tell yourself when times get hard? "Every normal man, must be tempted at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag and start slitting throats." then I laugh.
Would you ever sky dive? how to put this...OH FUCK NO.
Do you sleep on your side, tummy, or back? on my side and sometimes on my back.
What character from a movie most reminds you of yourself? I'd like to say Batman, but that's not going to happen, so probably someone who is crazy.
Have you ever bid for something on ebay? Heck yes. Where do you think i got my new sexy bat?
What do you think of Angelina Jolie being pregnant? Who? Oh, the one whose lips have taken over her face? You can't tell she's pregnant because all your attention goes to those lips.
Do you enjoy giving hugs? I suppose
Would you consider yourself to be fashionable? HA. no.
Do you own a digital camera? I do not. Because again, I suck as a person
If someone you had no interest in dating expressed interest in dating you, how would you feel? I hate that part. unless they do voodoo or something. then I say "Oh i'm sorry, I'm currently still stuck in a dead end relationship and I don't want out."
What celebrities have you been compared to? No one thankfully
Who is your favorite Star Wars character? Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker.
Does it annoy you when someone says they'll call but never do? I'll get back to you on this question
What books, if any, have made you cry? I dont' think i've ever cried at a book
Do you think you're attractive? Nope
What are you allergic to? The color green. and the color wet dead grass.
Are you a jealous person? No.
What's your opinion on sex without emotional commitment? Wouldn't that be fun...but seeing that i don't even have any emotional commitment with anyone..i can't asnwer that
Do you ever feel guilty after eating meat?No way. Sometimes I feel more guilty at eating plants that feed the meat i eat.
If you were born the opposite sex, what would your name have been? Something completely and totally whacked. My dad is nuts.
WARNING
We have upgraded status to an F2 WARNING. This warning is indicated by trained spotters reporting a sighting of the said F2 or by radar echoes that indicate an F2 in the area.
So I may be a little bit like a kid at Christmas. It's my new toy, something that I've desired and quite possibly deserved. I'm quite excited and shall be heading to the Post Office after my shower to pick up my new thunderstick.
